The Economics Department offers courses for majors and minors in economics, courses supporting other majors and courses for general electives and liberal studies requirements. Accordingly, economics courses fall into four types: introductory, basic principles, intermediate theory and applied economics.

The department takes pride in its long-standing tradition of emphasizing the application of theory to relevant and current economic issues. It aims to provide students with a solid understanding of how economics sheds light on the way property rights, social institutions, and market and political processes affect real-world economic activity at all levels, from the local to the global. Although the subject matter can be challenging, many students who have never taken economics courses before are pleasantly surprised with both the power and the wide scope of economic analysis.

The department offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in economics and secondary education economics, and minors in economics and economics education. In cooperation with other departments, the Economics Department offers a major in secondary education social studies.

Department programs are tailored to meet the particular needs and vocational aims of students. Students planning to use the undergraduate major in economics as a foundation for further study in graduate school should minor in mathematics. For careers with the government, mathematics is recommended; for careers in the financial services industry, accounting and finance are recommended; and for high school teaching, another social science is recommended. There are many career opportunities for the economics major; correspondingly, there are many alternatives in choosing electives and a minor field of study. For example, a number of our majors have been admitted to various law schools.

Student Organizations

Economics Students Association

Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society

Student Michigan Education Association

Department/Program Policies

All economics majors and minors are urged to become familiar with computers and statistics regardless of career choice.

All majors and minors offered by the department require a 2.00 or higher grade point average for all economics courses. In addition, only courses passed with a C- or higher will be counted toward a major or minor. Any exception must be requested by petition to the department.

Students majoring in secondary education economics or minoring in secondary education economics must maintain a grade point average of 2.70 or greater with no grade below a C in the professional education sequence, the major and/or minors and required cognates combined.

Courses within each major that can be used to satisfy liberal studies requirements are listed with the Roman numeral (in brackets) that coincides with the liberal studies division the course falls under.

Courses within each minor that can be used to satisfy liberal studies requirements are listed with the Roman numeral (in brackets) that coincides with the liberal studies division the course falls under.